Background
A unique and diverse collection of
Asian & geological artefacts was legally secured via a KL High Court order
in 2010 in lieu of large debts owed to our group from an US explorer. Our
museum company, instead of selling off the artefacts to make a quick gain or
recovery of money owed, decided to set up an INNOVATIVE & WORLD CLASS
museum in KL.
What's so special about our
artefacts?
We only have about 2,000 pieces
(not many by museums' standards) but several of our artefacts, are world class
or "one-of-its-kind" in the world. Examples are:
- largest antique drums in the
world, 300-year old and 12-ft tall Malay/Muslim drums
- 2 large antique South East Asian
sailing ships
- shipwrecked recovered 500-kg
Spanish Mission Bell, made in the Philippines, dated 1784 (a legacy of
Christopher Columbus) which was designated for a mission in California,
where the history of the state started,
- extremely old and rare Chinese
jade, bronze and ceramic artefacts including a 7.5kg Han jade
Pixiu, 4.4kg Shang jade urn, 53kg unique Ming Buddha, 29kg Shang bronze
cauldron and an Eastern Chou/Warring States bronze sword with gold inlaid.
Our collection of artefacts is
priceless. The images of most of our artefacts are also
available via our website at: http://terrazenenterprise.blogspot.com/
In May 2010, we made a public
donation of 28 pieces of our artefacts to our National Museum (Muzium Negara)
on the request of the Federal Government as a philanthropic gesture of
goodwill. This act also shows that our collection of artefacts must be legal
and authentic.
Objectives of project
The objectives of the
government-supported project are to promote multi-culturalism, regional
heritage and peace (which many companies and people just take for granted). The
project also aims to promote the tourism industry and make KL the
cultural-heritage centre of Asean and Asia.
Special objective - Promoting
Peace
We also intend to establish a
Heritage & Peace Council (HPC) of eminent local and international
personalities to use cultural heritage to prevent or minimise conflicts and
promote peace in the region. There would be regular forums and talks at the
museum in this respect.
People involved
Tunku Zain Al-'Abidin Muhriz (Negri
Sembilan) is the Executive Advisor, Director and shareholder. KK Tan is the
CEO, Director and a shareholder and Hamidon Taib is the Co-ordinating Adviser
& a stakeholder. The Honorary Advisors are Datuk Dr Wan Junaidi
Tuanku Jaafar (Deputy Home Minister), Tan Sri Michael Chen and Tan Sri Ramon
Navaratnam. Azmi Anshar (formerly from the new Straits Times) is our new
Media Advisor. Other VIPs are also involved in various roles including advisory.
We also have a team of competent
management personnel and have secured the special expertise needed for the
project such as world-class British Curator Dr Louise Tythacott (former Curator
of Liverpool National Museum and now with the School of Oriental & African
Studies, London), museum ID specialist (Impact Design Associates), artefacts'
experts and our Malaysian Nuclear Agency (scientific testing of age of
artefacts).
Project location (Malacca)
We're targeting foreign and
out-of-state tourists (about 15 million last year) and we only need 500,000 per
annum to be financially viable. Malacca State Government is keen to locate our
museum there to boost the state economy via tourism and other spin-offs. We
would like to show the world, via a "mock-up living model" that our
special and innovative museum works, can attract a large and regular crowd, is
extremely viable and it can send positive shock waves to the region and world.
What's so innovative or special
about our museum project?
It's a story-based and research
museum with 7 galleries (initially) telling interesting historical stories and
events of Asia. We are using multimedia as much as possible to tell the stories
in an interesting and interactive manner. To further make the museum more
appealing (and unlike other museums), we would allow visitors to touch and feel
certain large artefacts, as long as it is safe and secure to do so. This would
generate excitement with many visitors touching (and taking selfies of) certain
iconic and priceless artefacts.
We intend to expand later on into
an Asian Heritage VILLAGE project to promote other heritage items which Asia is
famous for such as martial arts, food, costumes, building & architecture,
arts & crafts and music & dances.
Secrets of success of our project
It's a blue ocean strategy project
with no real competitors in the country, region and perhaps anywhere in the
world. It has great CSR public interest objectives. The other 2 trade secrets
are:
- our gift shop merchandise (good
profit margins due to Intellectual Property control by us of our artefacts'
design and images)
- local tourist guides, who are
crying out for high quality tourist products in KL and would love to support
and promote our project to their tourist clients.
Current project status &
funding required
To start a world-class museum from
scratch can cost more than USD500 million (mostly on building and purchasing
artefacts), that is provided, there are even enough museum quality artefacts
available to purchase. We have spent much time, effort and money to develop
this project for the last 5 years or so to this stage, where all the
main components of the project are ready.
We only need a suitable building at
a strategic location and some nominal funds (which we have already secured) to
kick start the project on a “Field of Dreams” (movie by Kevin Costner) concept.
September
2015
